Window-shade fixture



H. PARKER.

WINDOW SHADE FIXTURE.

No. 522,384. g Patented July 3, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD PARKER, OF ST. JOHNSBURY, VERMONT.

WIN DOW-SHADE FT IXTU RE.

SPECIFICATION formingpartoof LettersPatent No. 522,384, dated July 3, 1894.

7 Application filed November 20,1893. Serial No. 49L485. (No model.)

To alt whom it may' concern.-

Be it known that I, HOWARD PARKER, of

St. Johnsbury, county of Caledonia, State of Vermont, have invented an Improvement in Wrndow-fihade Fixtures, of which the followlngdescrlption, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts. My invention relates to a mechanism for controlling the operation of a window shade in conjunction with a shade roller acted upon by a spring or other force tending to turn the same in the direction to wind the shade thereon. e

The invention relates to mechanism connected with the lower or running end of the shade by which the latter is held in any position in the window frame'against the strain tendlng to wind up the shade, but may be readily raised or lowered by the operator as desired. The said mechanism is connected with a stick or crossbar connected with the lower end of the shade in such manner as to hold it in fiat tense condition, the said bar belng provided at each end with a pair of wheels or rollers arranged to run on a vertical guide n the window frame. The said guide is shown 1n this instance as consisting of a round wire or rod and the pair of rollers co-operating with each rod have grooved peripheries which receive the rod between them-and bear frictionally thereon so that when the said rollers are free to rotate they will run up and down freely ,upon the guide rod, so that the lower end of the shade may be run up or down as required; and a locking device is provided for preventmg the rotation of said rollers in which case their friction upon the guide rod is sufficient to prevent them from moving along the same under the force applied tending to wind the shade 0n the roller. The said locking device is shown in this instance as having a frictional action and is controlled by handles arranged to be conveniently manipulated by the operator desiring tolower or raise the shade, said locking device being acted upon by a spring tending to bring the same to a condition to lock the wheels when the handles are released by the operator.

Figure l is a front elevation of a window shade and actuating mechanism therefor embodying this invention, with portions broken away to show the working parts; Fig. 2 a sectional plan on line 00 Fig.1,and Fig. 3 asimilar sectional 'plan on a larger scale, showing the locking device in position to release the rolls and permitthe shade to run up and down freely.

The shade a, is connected in the usual manner with the winding roller 1) which may be acted upon by a spring as indicated at c with a tendency to wind the shade a thereon in the usual manner.

The lower or running end of the shade a is connected with a stick or cross bar shown as a tube (1 containing within it a shaft eprovided at its ends with wheels or rollers f which 1 run upon stationary guide ways g in the window frame said guide ways being shown in this instance as stout rods, and the wheels f responds to oneof the rolls f, and is so arranged as to bear against the guide g opposite the point at which the wheel f engages the said guide. The said wheels f are journaled on brackets hfastened to the cross bar d and made of spring metal so applied as to cause each pair of wheels fif to press firmly against the rod g between them.

The ends of the cross bard are thus caused to follow the guide 9 but can run up and down freely thereon when the said wheels fif are free to turn. If, however, the rotation of said wheels is arrested the frictional hold of the wheels on the guides g is too great to be overcome by the pull of the winding spring 0 on the shade a. and thus by arresting or resisting the rotation of the Wheels the cross-bar d and the lower end of the shade connected bearing piece 11 and the tube 01 contains withinit co-operating friction devices shown as tubular pieces 70 extending from the cones i to a point near the middle of the cross bar, where the said devices k are provided with handles k see Fig. 1, extending through a slot in the tube (1 so that the said handles 7.: and connected clutch members or looking devices It can move longitudinally in the cross bar (1 but are prevented from rotating with the shaft 6 and the wheels f. The said tubular pieces 70 are provided at their outer ends with tapering sockets 70 corresponding to the cones i so that when the said sockets are pressed against the said cones they frictionally resist the rotation thereof and thus resist the rotation of the shaft c and wheels f connected therewith.

The clutch members It constituting the looking device are pressed toward the ends of the shaft so as to produce frictional contact between socket portions 7c and cones i by means of a spring m interposed between the inner ends of the said pieces 7c and thus pressing both of them into firm contact with the cones z'so as to resist the rotation of the wheels f sufliciently to prevent them from running on the guides 9 under the pull of the shade roller on the shade.

When it is desired to move the shade up or down the operator takes hold of the handles k and by pressing them together slightly overcomes the pressure of the spring or and relieves the frictional pressure at 70 4?, and thus unlocks the wheels f so that they will run freely along the guides g as the operator raises or lowers the shade, and then the operator lets go of the handles 70 After the shade is properly adjusted the wheels are again locked and the shade restrained from further movement until another adjustment is desired. The wheels f being connected with the same shaft have an equal movement and there is consequently no tendency to tip the shade stick or cross bar (1, or to bring one end of the shade higher than the other.

I claim- 1. The combination of the window shade and self winding roller therefor; with stationary guides g; a cross bar connected with the free or running end of the shade; wheels supported at the ends of said cross bar and engaging with said guides, a shaft connected with the said wheels and a locking device for controlling the rotation of said shaft and wheels connected therewith, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the windowshade, with a tubular cross bar (I and shaft therein, provided with wheels f and cooperating wheels f connected by spring bearings with said cross bar; and a spring actuated locking device 7c, k provided with handles 70 substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOWARD PARKER.

Witnesses:

N ELLIE M. PARKER, ANDREW WYRE. 

